Team Manager (Family Help Service)
London Borough of Lambeth
Team Manager (Family Help Service) REF: 2872
PO6: £56,436 pa rising in annual increments to £59,574 incl LW
12-month Secondment Opportunity/Fixed Term Contract and Full Time
About Us:
Located in the heart of South London, Lambeth Borough is a vibrant community of over 317,600 residents. Stretching from the dynamic neighbourhood of Streatham in the South to the iconic landmarks of Waterloo in the North, we are proud to be the 9th largest borough in London. Our diversity is our strength, with more than 130 languages spoken, making Lambeth the home of the Windrush generation, London's largest LGBTQ+ community, and a thriving Portuguese-speaking community.
It is an exciting time to join Lambeth Council, we have bold ambitions for the future of Lambeth’s communities and residents through our Lambeth 2030 Plan ‘Our Future, Our Lambeth.
With exceptional schools, lush green spaces including Brockwell Park, cultural gems like the Black Cultural Archives, and world-renowned institutions such as St Thomas's Hospital, Lambeth offers an enriching and dynamic environment.
Please have a look at our dedicated One Lambeth Values and Behaviours page.
About the Team
The Families First Team (FFT) is an innovative, multi-agency pilot at the front door of children’s services, designed to help families earlier, make better decisions faster, and prevent unnecessary escalation into statutory intervention.
Operating as a time-limited, 10-working-day assessment and brief intervention model, FFT brings together social care professionals and embedded specialists to rapidly understand risk, need and family context, and take purposeful action.
This is a small, high-impact, multidisciplinary team working alongside the Initial Response Hub/MASH.
Our approach is:
Child-centred and safeguarding-led
Evidence-informed and analytically robust
Multi-agency from day one
Following a time-limited assessment and brief intervention, the team will support clear, confident decisions to:
Step families down to early help or community support
Close cases where needs are met
Escalate appropriately where risks require statutory intervention
FFT is a focused, action-oriented service designed to reduce drift, improve family experience, and strengthen decision-making at the earliest point.
This is a 12-month pilot with strong senior sponsorship and real opportunity to shape system change, working at the heart of front-door transformation.
About the Role:
You are a confident and credible safeguarding leader, able to hold thresholds and make complex decisions at pace.
You will bring:
Strong experience of front-door or assessment services
In-depth understanding and application of Pan London & CWD Level of Needs thresholds
A track record of leading high-performing teams in fast-paced environments
Excellent risk analysis and decision-making skills under pressure
The ability to challenge constructively and provide clear direction
Experience of multi-agency working and influencing across systems
Good communication skills and a grip on data and information management
You are:
Calm, decisive and authoritative
Committed to timely, proportionate intervention
Passionate about improving outcomes through earlier help and smarter systems
Motivated by purposeful change and able to bring staff with you.
This is an opportunity for you to lead a flagship front-door transformation pilot and shape system-wide decision-making
How to Apply:
To be considered for interview, your CV and supporting statement will clearly evidence how you meet the shortlisting criteria on the personal specification marked “A” for application:
We operate an anonymised application process, so be sure to remove personal details when uploading your CV or personal statement.
Recruitment Timelines:
Advert close date: 11:55pm on Sunday, 21st June
Please click here to view: Lambeth Staff Benefits
Contact Information:
For an informal discussion, please contact: Manyara Walker, on MWalker1@lambeth.gov.uk
Successful candidates will be asked to apply for a Enhance Certificate from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). Further information about the DBS can be found at www.homeoffice.gov.uk/agencies-public-bodies/dbs
At Lambeth, we are dedicated to providing quality services and equal opportunities for all. We are committed to safer recruitment and are proud to be a Stonewall diversity champion, a Living Wage Employer, and to guarantee interviews for all disabled candidates who meet the minimum criteria of the role. For a full list of our accreditations, please click here.